The fire in Sycamore Road broke out mid-morning on Saturday and three fire crews were called. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used two hoses to put out the fire within 40 minutes.

Station Officer Trevor Watson from Colchester fire station said: “When crews arrived at the property, a woman and her two children were already safely outside of the house.

“The loft area was heavily smoke logged and crews wearing breathing apparatus quickly extinguished the fire and prevented it from spreading to the house next door.

“It appears the fire started when an electrical cable overheated and caught fire to clothes and books stored in the loft area.”

Mr Watson warned about the dangers of electrical fires. He said: “In 2012 the Service was called to an electrical fire in a home on average every other day with 194 incidents between January 1 and December 31. “All too often it is the simple things that people could check for themselves that can lead to a serious accident. So we are urging everyone to make basic visual checks around the home to ensure its electrical safety.

“This check should look for old or worn flexes and make sure that all appliances are clean, well cared for and in good working order.”